An editorial about the Asian experience in the U.S. and around the world.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pressure is On for Asian Singers Who Follow Jessica Sanchez

There is no doubt that Jessica Sanchez's 2nd place finish on American Idol last year has raised the bar on upcoming Asian artists. This year's show is no exception with 4 Asian hopefuls trying to make the Top 20.

This year's crop includes 3 Filipino-Americans Bryant Tadeo, Adriana Latonio, and Jett Hermano, and 1 Chinese-Mexican-American Elijah Liu. The impact of Jessica Sanchez has a lot to do with Adriana and Jett than with the men. However, the Filipina-Mexican singer has set such a high bar for the female singers that the men can't help feeling the same pressure at performing at such a high-level like Jessica.

Adriana and Jett will not be able to hide from the comparisons with Jessica Sanchez. They will both have to find their own niche in order to break away from the shadow of the popular singer. The best thing they can do to stop the comparisons is to avoid the same songs from Jessica's song list. That means avoiding numbers by Whitney Houston, Jennifer Holliday, Alicia Keys, Jazmin Sullivan, and Mariah Carey.

The men don't have to worry about the comparisons but they do want to use her 2nd place finish as an inspiration.

Nevertheless, the Asian singers have high expectations in their respective Asian communities. Elijah may be considered the top Asian artist of the bunch but the competition on American Idol can sway week to week and one performance can either sink or propel a singer into the next round.

Thanks to Jessica Sanchez, Asian artists are no longer a rare commodity on American Idol and other singing shows. Like all the artists before them, they have to seize the opportunity and swing for the stars like the way that Chula Vista youngster did in 2012.